Charles Ellicott Commentary Numbers 31

Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites. —The time had now come for the fulfillment of the command which had already been given , after which Moses was to be gathered to his people, as it had been revealed to him (Numbers 27:13). After Balaam had been dismissed by Balak, he appears to have gone, not to the Moabites, but to the Midianites; and it was in consequence of the counsel which he gave to the Midianites (Numbers 5:16) that the Israelites were led into the idolatrous and lascivious worship of Baal Peor. It is also possible that the Midianites, as the descendants of Abraham, may have possessed clearer light and greater privileges than the Moabites.

They may have had many men as enlightened as Jethro among them; consequently, they may have incurred greater guilt and made themselves liable to the more severe punishment of those who, after they have known the way of righteousness, turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them (2 Peter 2:21).

But whether satisfactory reasons can or cannot be assigned for why a more exemplary judgment was inflicted on the Midianites than on the Moabites (who were not left unpunished), only those can maintain that the destruction of the Midianites is inconsistent with the justice or goodness of God who deny that He has absolute control over the destinies of all the creatures of His hands.

They must also deny that when He is pleased to recall the life which He has bestowed, it is for Him to determine which agents or instruments are best to employ.

Arm some of yourselves ... — Better, Arm from among you (or, from those with you) men for the war. The details of the selection are contained in the next verse.

With the holy instruments, and ... —Or, with the holy instruments, even, etc. It does not appear whether the ark did or did not accompany the expedition. It has been inferred from Numbers 14:44 that the reference may be to the ark, but it does not appear probable that the ark would be so described. Moreover, Phinehas was not the high priest, and therefore would not have the ephod with the breastplate, which was worn at this time by Eleazar. The reference may be only to the silver trumpets , or it may include other sacred instruments.

This was emphatically a holy war. We may learn, from the command given to the Israelites to take with them the holy instruments, that those who would engage in the war against sin and Satan must take to them the whole armour of God (Ephesians 6:13).

They slew all the males. —The reference appears to be to those who were engaged in the war. The words do not refer to the entire male population, as is evident from Numbers 31:17; and it is probable that many of the Midianites who were not engaged in the war withdrew from the scene of conflict. The reference in this verse, unless the words are inserted proleptically, seems to be to all the adult males who fell into the hands of the Israelites during the war.

And they slew the kings of Midian ... — Those persons who are here described as kings appear to have been chiefs of the more powerful Midianite tribes, just as Zur is represented in Numbers 25:15. They are described in Joshua 13:21 as “princes” or “chiefs,” and as “dukes” or “princes” of Sihon, by which expression it appears that they were his vassals.

Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword.— The death of Balaam by the sword of the Israelites presents a strange and instructive contrast to the prayer which he uttered that he might die the death of the righteous (Numbers 23:10).

Few of the ancient prophecies are more remarkable, as Bishop Wordsworth has observed, than those of Balaam for “spirituality of conception and sublimity of expression.”

And if, as some think, we are to understand Micah 6:8 as containing the actual words which were addressed by Balaam to Balak, few men possessed a clearer perception of moral truth than that which is expressed in the words, He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

And yet, notwithstanding the light which Balaam possessed, the sublimity of the prophecies which he uttered, and the purity of the motives by which he professed to be motivated, he loved the wages of unrighteousness and gave himself up to do Satan’s bidding in casting a stumbling-block before the children of Israel, and miserably perished among the enemies of God and of His people.

Bishop Wordsworth draws a striking and instructive contrast between Balaam and Moses, both of whom had visions of Christ and prophesied of Him, while one loved the wages of unrighteousness, and the other did all for God’s glory.